[jondennis]

I already posted in the introduction thread, but I though I should be as specific as possible.

After ten years, my 80g IPod Classic has a bad battery and a bad drive and I am not handy enough to fix it myself (I tried with the battery and I just can't get it open) and I am on a budget. I used it chiefly at work and the car to listen to music (80% rock/20% jazz), audiobooks and podcasts. Up until now I've been using $10 Skullcandy earbuds but I could go up in quality a little bit. I don't use it at home much as I use the computer or stereo there.

I'm looking for something with that I can pause quickly when I am interrupted at work, so I would prefer physical controls to a touchscreen.

Bluetooth would be good as I have a bluetooth speaker I use in the car, though I could run a physical line to that if I had to.

I don't use playlists much at all. I tend to listen to albums straight through.

Currently my music is ripped to 256 AAC but I could see doing lossless in the future though that would limit the percentage of my collection I could carry at one time.

I've got quite a few albums where gapless playback would be a necessity.

I figure after paying for a 256g microSD I can afford about up to $199 for the player if I push it.

The ones I keep coming back to looking at are the FIIO X1, X2, XDUOO and AGPTEK H3. But it's difficult to decide and there's probably more I haven't looked at.

Any advice is welcome and if any more information about me would help let me know.

 

[kukkurovaca]

You might also consider:

Cowon Plenue D
Onkyo DP-S1/Pioneer XDP-30R if you see them at around $200 or less. (Prices fluctuate on those.)
HIFI WALKER H2
Shanling M0

Of those, I can comment firsthand on the DP-S1, which is a weird little device. Decent sound quality for $200 (which you might or might not find it at). Easy to use, physical volume control, pause, track controls, and a lock switch. (All relatively common features on DAPs, though, which is good news.) Construction is pretty flimsy-seeming, but in practice it's more durable than I would have expected. Gapless a-OK. It does do bluletooth, but I haven't actually used it, myself.

Browsing and settings are via a touchscreen which is antiquated and laggy by phone standards, but usable.

 

[Will Chiu]

Shanling M0, hiby r3, cayin n3 are some good ones with a reasonable price

 

[jondennis]

Shanling M0, hiby r3, cayin n3 are some good ones with a reasonable price

Now that I've read up on the Cayin N3, that's jumped to the top of my list.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

After ten years, my 80g IPod Classic has a bad battery and a bad drive and I am not handy enough to fix it myself (I tried with the battery and I just can't get it open) and I am on a budget. I used it chiefly at work and the car to listen to music (80% rock/20% jazz), audiobooks and podcasts. Up until now I've been using $10 Skullcandy earbuds but I could go up in quality a little bit. I don't use it at home much as I use the computer or stereo there.
---
The ones I keep coming back to looking at are the FIIO X1, X2, XDUOO and AGPTEK H3. But it's difficult to decide and there's probably more I haven't looked at.

Why not just use an iPhone and not have to deal with drag n drop and manual library organization on anything that isn't an iDevice?

I tried an iPod before and for the first few days I just wanted to tear my hair out. Similarly anybody doing the opposite, going from Apple to anything else, usually just end up ranting on the DAP threads.

I mean are you even going to use relatively lower sensitivity or very high impedance IEMs to even need the higher output amp circuits on those DAPs?

I'm looking for something with that I can pause quickly when I am interrupted at work, so I would prefer physical controls to a touchscreen.
---
Currently my music is ripped to 256 AAC but I could see doing lossless in the future though that would limit the percentage of my collection I could carry at one time.

Why not just take your headphones/earphones off?

Or use something like a Fiio BTR1 which has control buttons, and just stick with AAC or MP3 that way BT doesn't have to compress lossless files, something that will be really useful since Apple wants you to buy a dongle for nearly the same price. You might as well buy two BTR1s and listen through the other in case you have to charge one.

Besides, it's not like you're critically listening at home to really pick out the differences. Even 320kbps can be nearly inaudible on a home system, much less a portable one that you're using at work instead of say critical listening on some other chair or in a hotel room.

Bluetooth would be good as I have a bluetooth speaker I use in the car, though I could run a physical line to that if I had to.

I don't use playlists much at all. I tend to listen to albums straight through.
---
I've got quite a few albums where gapless playback would be a necessity.

I figure after paying for a 256g microSD I can afford about up to $199 for the player if I push it.

iPhone with Spotify sounds more useful for your use case. Besides if you get a high consumption, high speed data plan anyway your carrier might even subsidize it.